There is so much to say it is hard to find a place to start. So I will start with a confession. I did a search for the title of this post and found close to two million references to the words and phrases within the headline. But not one reference for the whole phrase, Homeschooling in the Age of Obama. So I used it here for three reasons – inane, less inane, and my point.
Inane: The irony of the title made me grin.
Less inane: The headline is now used.
And my point: It is not about Obama.
In fact it is a mistake to think so narrowly as to consider it is about any one administration. Readers of HEM will not be surprised by my point. Our position has always been to work for a broad base of support for homeschooling – a position which has never aligned well with partisan politics. To frame the discussions of homeschooling and educational reform in partisan terms serves the constituent herders and political power brokers but forgets kids and families.
We should look beyond partisan world views towards a thorough understanding of the forces of educational reform. Simple civics tells us that for the Federal Government to have an impact on homeschooling it has to have willing state level partners. For a start, check out this Nation Governors Associations news release, Forty-Nine States and Territories Join Common Core Standards Initiative
In the twenty-six years since the release of A Nation at Risk, states have made great strides in increasing the academic rigor of education standards. Yet, America’s children still remain behind other nations in terms of academic achievement and preparedness to succeed.
By signing on to the common core state standards initiative, governors and state commissioners of education across the country are committing to joining a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. These standards will be research and evidence-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills.
Tags: Common Core Standards Initiative, Federal Reform, homeschooling, homeschooling in the age of obama, Nation Governors Associations
The Governors Association really is important to watch. Thanks for the reminder.
It seems to me that many of the political dividing lines that have been been promoted do far more damage to our rights because they draw our attention to general political party actions and away our from the important business of monitoring our individual rights.
Thanks for the great post.
As an Obama supporter, a Democratic party member, and one who leans left on many issues, but as one who is considering homeschooling his daughter (and any future kids coming along), and one who is currently researching homeschooling, I appreciate that you write something like this. I’ve been hesitant to research into homeschooling because much has been highly partisan and strongly negative towards public education. My experience in public education was quite good, and my wife is a principal in New York City of a public school she got to design. I don’t need sources that waste my time deriding public education; I need good sources on how to best teach my daughter.